Wyre

Wyre's population grew older in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in religion, housing tenure and health.

The population reached nearly 110,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Wyre increased by 2.0%, from almost 106,000 to 108,000.

The addition of about 2,100 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Wyre was home to, on average, 2.7 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was lower than the average across the North West

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the North West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Wyre

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Wyre increased by four years, from 43 to 47 years.

This remote area had the second-highest average age in the North West and remained older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 2,500 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 4,000.

About 14% of people in Wyre are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Wyre by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Wyre residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.3% to 1.8% between the last two censuses.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 2.9%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 1.3% in 2001 to 1.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Wyre remained close to 1.8%

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Wyre by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Wyre

Wyre saw the North West's third-largest fall in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just under 9 in 10 (87%) in Wyre reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities, compared with 88% in 2001. The percentage who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.2% to 5.2%.

Across the region, only Eden (from 90% to 89%) and Sefton (from 88% to 87%) saw a greater decrease in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

The proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents that reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Wyre

The number of people in Wyre that described themselves as Christian decreased from just under 88,000 in 2001 to just over 80,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 83% to 75% of those who chose to disclose information about their religious beliefs.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across the North West (from 78% to 67%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Wyre that described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 9,900 in 2001 to about 19,000 in 2011 (from 9.4% to 18%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation remained close to 7,100 (6.6%)

About 340 people (0.2%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from just under 230 in 2001 (0.3%).

The population who identified as Christian in Wyre decreased by 8.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Wyre by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Wyre that rented privately increased from 8.3% to 14% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage that lived in social housing remained close to 7.0%, while the percentage of Wyre households that owned their home decreased from 83% to 78%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased at a slower rate here than the figure for the whole of the North West (from 8.5% in 2001 to 15% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Wyre increased by 5.3 percentage points

Percentage of households in Wyre, the North West and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Wyre residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 11% to 7.2% between the last two censuses.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (77%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 65% in 2001. The percentage of Wyre residents that described their health as fair decreased from 23% to 16%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 11% in 2001 to 6.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Wyre decreased by 4.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wyre, the North West and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Wyre

The percentage of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased in Wyre, but at a slower rate than in Blackpool (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Wyre).

In Wyre, the proportion of single people increased from 23% in 2001 to 26% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Blackpool increased from 28% to 35%.

Across the North West, the share of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased from 30% to 36%.

The proportion of married people in Wyre fell from 56% to 52%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner increased from 11% to 12%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

More people cohabiting

The percentage of households in Wyre, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 6.8% to 8.7% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (30%) households had only one person, compared with 29% in 2001. The percentage of households in Wyre which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 37% to 34%.

The proportion of households with an unmarried couple increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 7.9% in 2001 to 9.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.3% to 9.9%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Wyre increased by 1.9 percentage points

Percentage of households in Wyre, the North West and England that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Wyre working less than 16 hours increased from 2.1% to 3.1% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 10 (10.0%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 13% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 1.7% in 2001 to 3.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Wyre increased by 1.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Wyre, the North West and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Wyre with only adult children living with their parents increased from 9.5% to 10% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just under one in four (25%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 27% in 2001. The percentage of households in Wyre without children increased from 64% to 65%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (which remained close to 10%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was lower than across the North West

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Changing work life

The percentage of Wyre residents that were self-employed increased from 10% to 11% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just under one in two (49%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 48% in 2001. The percentage of Wyre residents that were unemployed increased from 2.6% to 3.2%.

The proportion of self-employed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 7.1% in 2001 to 8.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.2% to 9.7%.

The rate of self-employment was higher than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were self-employed across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Wyre

The number of people in Wyre from the White ethnic groups increased from just over 100,000 in 2001 to just under 110,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the local population, this represented a decrease from 99% to 98%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across the North West (from 94% to 90%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Wyre from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from about 610 in 2001 to about 990 in 2011 (from 0.6% to 0.9%). The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from just under 410 to about 660 (from 0.4% to 0.6%).

About 130 people (0.1%) said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, up from about 73 in 2001 (0.1%).

The population from the White ethnic groups in Wyre remained close to 98%

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Wyre by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

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